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Science 27 June 1997:
Vol. 276. no. 5321, pp. 1967 - 1968
DOI: 10.1126/science.276.5321.1967
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Research News

DRUG ADDICTION:
Marijuana: Harder Than Thought?

Ingrid Wickelgren

Compared to drugs such as heroin and cocaine, many people consider marijuana a relatively benign substance. But two studies in this issue demonstrate disturbing similarities between marijuana's effects on the brain and those produced by highly addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroin. One study, described on page 2050, indicates that marijuana withdrawal activates the same stress system in the brain triggered by withdrawal of opiates and alcohol, while the other, reported on page 2048, indicates that marijuana activates the same reward pathway as heroin.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Postdischarge Cannabis Use and Its Relationship to Cocaine, Alcohol, and Heroin Use: A Prospective Study.
E. Aharonovich, X. Liu, S. Samet, E. Nunes, R. Waxman, and D. Hasin (2005)
Am J Psychiatry 162, 1507-1514
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Marijuana: More Dangerous Than We Thought?.
(1997)
Journal Watch Dermatology 1997, 13
   Full Text »
MARIJUANA: MORE DANGEROUS THAN WE THOUGHT?.
(1997)
Journal Watch (General) 1997, 8
   Full Text »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)